GTS Securities LLC Acquires Shares of 7,006 Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS)

GTS Securities LLC bought a new stake in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 7,006 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $387,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ purchased a new position in shares of Webster Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Webster Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Webster Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Webster Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $61,000. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd lifted its position in shares of Webster Financial by 742.7% in the fourth quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 1,264 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $70,000 after acquiring an additional 1,114 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Webster Financial

In other news, insider Daniel Bley sold 1,200 shares of Webster Financial stock in a transaction on Monday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.97, for a total value of $59,964.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 20,317 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,015,240.49. The trade was a 5.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Lauren States sold 2,200 shares of Webster Financial stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.80, for a total value of $111,760.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 14,620 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $742,696. The trade was a 13.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 5,200 shares of company stock worth $257,836 over the last quarter. 0.54% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Webster Financial Price Performance

NYSE:WBS opened at $52.52 on Wednesday. Webster Financial Co. has a 52 week low of $39.34 and a 52 week high of $63.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The company has a market capitalization of $8.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.02, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.98. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $48.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $54.21.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The financial services provider reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by ($0.08). Webster Financial had a net margin of 18.39% and a return on equity of 10.82%. The business had revenue of $704.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $708.46 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.35 EPS. Webster Financial’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.88 EPS for the current year.

Webster Financial announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Thursday, May 1st that permits the company to repurchase $700.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to purchase up to 8.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th were given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.05%. Webster Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on WBS. Barclays decreased their target price on Webster Financial from $80.00 to $72.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on Webster Financial from $70.00 to $65.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Royal Bank of Canada set a $60.00 price objective on Webster Financial and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Raymond James reduced their price objective on Webster Financial from $65.00 to $58.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Webster Financial from $75.00 to $66.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $63.75.

Webster Financial Profile

Webster Financial Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Webster Bank, National Association that provides a range of financial products and services to individuals, families, and businesses in the United States. It operates through three segments: Commercial Banking, HSA Bank, and Consumer Banking.